The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1887-05-07
SIX TO ONE.
IErnm the ST. Louis Republican.

From the st. Louis Republican
The whole kernel of the railroad view
of the short and long haul matter is
found in this statement by Senator
Stanford, of California, who, i'll addl-
ton to being a United States senator,
is one of the owners of the Southern
Pacific railroad: "We carry a ton OF
wheat from San FrancisO to the Gulf
of Mexico-3,000 miles-for $40. For
CARRYING the same amount to a point
half way-1, 800 miles-we charge $50;
and yet the people at that point are not
overcharged."
The excuse for the discrimination in
favor of the longer haul is that II a
very light charge were not made the
road would not get the business at all.
The road cannot afford to carry freight
in a general way at a $40 per ton rate;
it would become bankrupt at the bust
ness. But the road is already built, It
has an outfit of rolling stock, and it
possesses facilities Tor doing more car
rying than the way traffic supplies; and
the naked question before it Is whether,
after carrying all its way freight at a
reasonable charge, it is not justified in
employing the rolling stock, which
otherwise would be idle, IN carrying
through freight at a one-sjxth rate
rather than not carry it at all. The
reasoning is certainly specious. 1t
looks plausible, and it is fortified by
many wears of railroad practice. But
is it fair and reasonable? Would it be
right for a grocer to charge his regular
customers who live in his immediate
neighborhood and are, therefore, under
some necessity of dealing with him, 50
per cent. more for goods than he charges
distant persons living near another
grocery, and whose custom he can at
tract only by granting them special
fayors? Take another illustration :
Suppose there are two bakeries located
in the opposite ends of a town; the
persons living near nj are its regular
patrons, and they supply it with the
custom that is its main support. Would
rot these have a fair complaint If they
should discover that while their baker
was making them pay 8 cents a loaf for
bread he was trying to draw custom
from his competitor at the other M OF
the town by habitually selling them
loaves for 4 cents? In either case 1t
would be granting special favors to dis.
tant and only possible customers, and
charging the cost to the regular pa
irons who cannot help themselves. Or,
it would be like the conduct of the salt
manufacturers of New York. They ask
the government t O place a duty of loo
per cent. on imported salt to protect
their industry from foreign competi-
tion-and the government grants them
the favor. Having thus secured abso-
lutte control of the home market, they
a. C~.oIa anl pntnn far fhaf
market by selling salt at a price 20 pei
cent. lower than they exact Tor 1t Ill
this country.
Senator Stanford says a rate of $50 a
ton for 1880 miles is not excessive,
and the way people have no right to
complain. But this is not so clear,
All things are measured by comparl-
son. A charge of $50 for 1,50O miles
is, to a charge OF SO for 5000 niles as
6 to l. The way communities are made
to pay ST for service which the tefmi
nal community gets for 81. The pre-
tended excuse for this is that the
through freight must be carried Ct q
very low rate in order 10 get it, and
thus keep the roads rolling stock from
being idle; but may not another ano
less creditable explanation be given
viz, that tie way communities arr
charged six rates simply because they
cannot help themse.ves? The wa,
communities have grounds for disput'
ing the statement that $50 tor 81 5O(
miles is reasonable, when the SAM
road charges only $40 for 5000 miles
The rates are as 6 to l, and between
Sc charged against way business ant
q against through there ought to be
meal rate that would not make it
disadvantage to live along the roat
instead of at its end.
A railroad corporation usually W
its existence TO the state its line run
through. and it may. be asked that, a
q rule, the ~pretense of building it wa
to benefit the people living along tn
route. Is it fair, then, for the creature
to withhold from its creators favor
which it accords to outsiders? 1t ha
a right certainly to strive for through
traffic, to draw over its line freigh
passing from one side of the continen
to another. but has it a right to Civ
shippers in California and consignee
in New York unreasonably low rate
and make up the loss by charging tn
people of Missouri and Illinois unreaI
Onohlv hiOh rates?